PERSONAL DATA: Born January 28, 1950, in Clinton, Iowa,
but considers DeWitt, Iowa, to be his hometown. Married to the former Lynn Beneke
of Vinton, Iowa. Two grown sons. Recreational interests include playing playing
the piano, gardening, electronics, spending time with his family, and all types
of sports. His father, Paul C. Hilmers, lives in Clinton, Iowa, and his mother,
Matilda Hilmers, lives in DeWitt, Iowa. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leland Beneke,
reside in Vinton, Iowa.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Central Community High School
in DeWitt, Iowa, in 1968; received a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics
(Summa Cum Laude) from Cornell College in 1972, a master of science degree in
electrical engineering (with distinction) in 1977, and the degree of electrical
engineer from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1978.

ORGANIZATIONS: Phi Beta Kappa, and Eta Kappa Nu.

SPECIAL HONORS: Named Outstanding Scholar-Athlete, Midwest
Conference (1971); graduated Summa Cum Laude from Cornell College (1972); awarded
an NCAA Post-Graduate Fellowship (1972); named to Phi Beta Kappa and named Outstanding
Athlete, Cornell College (1972). Recipient of three NASA Exceptional Service
Medals, three NASA Space Flight Medals, the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics Haley Space Flight Award for 1988, and the American Astronautical
Society Flight Achievement Award for 1988. Awarded the Department of Defense
Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Meritorious
Service Medal.

EXPERIENCE: Hilmers entered active duty with the United
States Marine Corps in July 1972. On completing Marine Corps Basic School and
Naval Flight Officer School, he was assigned to VMA(AW)-121 at Marine Corps
Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, flying the A-6 Intruder as a bombardier-navigator.
In 1975, he became an air liaison officer with the 1st Battalion, 2d Marines,
stationed with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. He graduated from the U.S.
Naval Postgraduate School in 1978 and was later assigned to the 1st Marine Aircraft
Wing in Iwakuni, Japan. He was stationed with the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing in
El Toro, California, at the time of his selection by NASA.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Hilmers was selected a NASA astronaut
in July 1980, and completed the initial training period in August 1981. In 1983
he was selected as a member of the -launch ready standby crew. His early NASA
assignments have included work on upper stages such as PAM, IUS, and Centaur,
as well as Shuttle software verification at the Shuttle Avionics Integration
Laboratory (SAIL). In addition, he was the Astronaut Office training coordinator,
worked on various Department of Defense payloads, served as a spacecraft communicator
(CAPCOM) at Mission Control for STS-41D, STS-41G, STS-51A, STS-51C and STS-51D,
worked Space Station issues for the Astronaut Office, and served as head of
the Mission Development Branch within the Astronaut Office. In May 1985 he was
named to the crew of STS-61F which was to deploy the Ulysses spacecraft on an
interplanetary trajectory using a Centaur upper stage. This mission was to have
flown in May 1986, but the Shuttle Centaur project was terminated in July 1986,
and Hilmers then worked in the areas of ascent abort development, payload safety,
and shuttle on-board software. During 1987 he was involved in training for STS-26
and in flight software development.

A veteran of four space flights, he has logged over 493 hours in space. He served
as a mission specialist on STS-51J (October 3-7, 1985), STS-26 (September 29
to October 3, 1988), STS-36 (February 28 to March 4, 1990), and STS-42 (January
22-30, 1992).

Hilmers retired from NASA in October 1992, and is currently enrolled as a medical
student at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS 51-J Atlantis, a
classified Department of Defense mission, launched from Kennedy Space Center,
Florida, on October 3, 1985. This was the maiden voyage of the Orbiter Atlantis.
Hilmers had prime responsibility for a number of on-orbit activities during
the mission. After 98 hours of orbital operations, Atlantis landed at
Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 7, 1985.

STS-26 Discovery, the first flight to be flown after the Challenger
accident, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on September
29, 1988. During the four-day mission, the crew successfully deployed the Tracking
and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C), which was subsequently carried to orbit by
the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) rocket. They also operated eleven mid-deck experiments.
Discovery completed 64 orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards
Air Force Base, California, on October 3, 1988.

STS-36 Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February
28, 1990. This mission carried Department of Defense payloads and a number of
secondary payloads. After 72 orbits of the Earth, the STS-36 mission concluded
with a lakebed landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on March 4, 1990,
after traveling 1.87 million miles.

STS-42 Discovery launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on
January 22, 1992. Fifty five major experiments conducted in the International
Microgravity Laboratory-1 module were provided by investigators from eleven
countries, and represented a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. During
128 orbits of the Earth, the STS-42 crew accomplished the mission's primary
objective of investigating the effects of microgravity on materials processing
and life sciences. In this unique laboratory in space, crew members worked around-the-clock
in two shifts. Experiments investigated the microgravity effects on the growth
of protein and semiconductor crystals. Biological experiments on the effects
of zero gravity on plants, tissues, bacteria, insects and human vestibular response
were also conducted. This eight-day mission culminated in a landing at Edwards
Air Force Base, California, on January 30, 1992.

DECEMBER 1993

This is the only version available from NASA. Updates must be sought direct from the above named individual.